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Friday, September 21, 2007

This Week On Smart City: A More Perfect Union

The Bear Revolution is upon us. So says Jonathan Taplin, a long-time innovator in the entertainment field and Adjunct Professor at the Annenberg School of Communication where his areas of specialization are in International Communication Management and the field of digital media entertainment. ees cities and states rising in power, with California leading the way, while power diminishes at the center.

And then we go even more local with D.C. Councilman Tommy Wells who is determined to make our nation's capitol a more walk-able, livable city. Tommy began his Washington, D.C. career in 1985 as a social worker in the District's child protective services agency, eventually becoming director of the D.C. Consortium for Child Welfare, an organization of 20 nonprofit agencies that serve the city's children and families.

Smart City is a syndicated, weekly hour-long public radio talk show that takes an in-depth look at urban life: the people, places, ideas and trends that affect us all. Host Carol Coletta talks with national and international public policy experts, economists, business leaders, artists, developers, planners and others on the pulse of city life for a penetrating discussion on urban issues.

In Memphis, Smart City is broadcast on WKNO FM, 91.1, at 9 a.m. Sundays. It is also webcast and podcast at the Smart Citywebsite, which also has a listing of broadcast times in other cities and the sign up for a weekly newsletter.

You need both long term pro-active thinkers both in leadership and collectively as a culture. That's why Arnold is doing so well in CA. There are checks and balances out there- take the recall of CA governor Gray Davis as example..and he was recalled not for being corrupt but for being merely perceived as not doing his job. CA residents were furious with the gas crisis and that translated into his demise (sadly, the guy seems like a decent fellow).

Here I don't see that. It's a time warp as you suggested. I am in complete disbelief that someone like Herenton can even be re-elected. Actually shocked is a better description. Back in my home state, after some of the comments that he has made, he would have been asked to step down or the citizens would have started an initiative to have him recalled. Unreal....

But to end on a positive note. it's changing- it's inevitable as the impact of particle physics as Taplin suggested. With the digital world we now have a clearer view of all the shinanigans that the old regime thinks they are able to hide. Their time and style is no longer acceptable.